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Christmas — Proper II

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Isaiah 62:6-12

After many years during which the grain and the wine from the vineyards of Jerusalem had been given by the Lord God to the enemies of its people, the people of Israel are depicted here as streaming back to the city from the broad highway cleared of all stones and obstructions over which they were returning from their exile in Babylonia. The people who return to the city are called “holy,” because they are the people of the Lord; they are called “redeemed” because the Lord has purchased them from their captors. The people of the Lord will again eat their bread and drink their wine in the holy city.

Psalm 97

The land and its people will rejoice, because the Lord God is now the King. The throne of the Lord God is built upon the foundations of righteousness and of justice. All adversaries of the Lord God are consumed by his fire. The earth trembles under his feet. Those who are righteous will welcome the coming of the Lord and give thanks to their God.

Titus 3:4-7

While in the Isaiah 62:6-12 and Psalm 97 texts God is depicted as the Savior, active in the lives of the righteous, the people here in Titus 3:4-7 have been washed and reborn. What is new and different in this text from the Newer Testament is that God as the Holy Spirit is said to have been poured out upon the people through the activity of Jesus Christ our Savior. The Lord God is coming in new forms. As arranged in Proper II of our texts for Christmas, Titus 3:4-7 provides a transition from the idea that the Lord God comes in power and might to the belief that the Lord God comes in the birth of the baby Jesus in the Lukan Christmas story.

Luke 2:(1-7) 8-20

For this, see the notes under Luke 2:1-14 (15-20) above in CHRISTMAS (Nativity of Our Lord).

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Authors of
Lectionary Scripture Notes
Norman A. Beck is the Poehlmann Professor of Theology and Classical Languages and the Chairman of the Department of Theology, Philosophy, and Classical Languages at Texas Lutheran University
Dr. Norman A. Beck
Mark Ellingsen is professor at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Mark Ellingsen

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